TABLE 1.

Reported cases of anaerobic poststernotomy wound infection

Yr (na)	Age/gender	Type of surgery	Prophylaxis	Bacteriological findings		Antimicrobial therapy	Outcome	Reference
				Mediastinal fluid	Blood cultures
1976 (1)	65/Male	Coronary bypass	Cephalotin	Bacteroides fragilis	Bacteroides fragilis	Clindamycin	Cured	7
1985 (2)	65/Male	Coronary bypass	Cephapirin	Bacteroides brevis, Staphylococcus epidermidis	Bacteroides brevis	Clindamycin, ticarcillin, gentamicin	Cured	15
	44/Male	Coronary bypass	Cephapirin	Bacteroides fragilis, Staphylococcus epidermidis	Bacteroides fragilis	Clindamycin, nafcillin, gentamicin	Cured
1988 (1)	48/Male	Coronary bypass	Cefamandole	Bacteroides oralis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, α-hemolytic streptococci	Bacteroides fragilis	Clindamycin, vancomycin	Cured	8
1989 (15b)	Various	Various	Various	10 Peptostreptococcus isolates (including 4 Finegoldia magnac isolates/), and 4 Bacteroides, 2 Propionibacterium, and 2 Clostridium isolates	Not detailed	Various	Not detailed	4
1996 (2)	43/Female	Coronary bypass	Unknown	Staphylococcus aureus, Finegoldia magnac	Staphylococcus aureus	Vancomycin, gentamicin	Cured	6
	29/Male	Cardiac assist device	Unknown	Propionibacterium acnes, Staphylococcus epidermidis	Propionibacterium acnes	Vancomycin, penicillin	Cured
2001 (4)	7/Female	Ventricular septal defect	1st-generation cephalosporin	Prevotella intermedia, Peptostreptococcus micros	Negative	Imipenem, amoxicillin-clavulanate	Cured	5
	3/Female	Ventricular septal defect	1st-generation cephalosporin	Staphylococcus aureus, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, Peptostreptococcus prevotii	Staphylococcus aureus	Clindamycin, vancomycin	Cured
	5/Female	Fallot's tetralogy	1st-generation cephalosporin	Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens	Escherichia coli	Clindamycin, vancomycin	Cured
	2/Male	Transposition of the great vessel	Penicillin	Prevotella melaninogenica, Peptostreptococcus species, Propionibacterium acnes	Prevotella melaninogenica	Ticarcillin-clavulanate, amoxicillin-clavulanate	Curedd
2008 (1)	50/Male	Coronary bypass	Cefamandole	Finegoldia magnac	Negative	Metronidazole, amoxicillin	Cured	This work

^an, no. of cases reported.

^bSix specimens with anaerobic bacteria only and nine with mixed aerobic, facultative, and anaerobic bacteria over a series of 74 patients with postthoracotomy sternal wound infection.

^cFormerly Peptostreptococcus magnus.

^dOnly local debridement was performed in this patient.